Felix Baumgartner’s Amazing Feat

Lessons from breaking the speed of sound.

On October 14, 2012 Felix Baumgartner rose in a helium balloon to an altitude of 128,100 feet, and in a highly specialized space suit broke the world record by jumping and reaching a maximum speed of 833.9 miles per hour, or Mach 1.24.

"Trust me,” Felix said after the jump, “when you stand up there on top of the world, you become so humble. It's not about breaking records anymore. It’s not about getting scientific data. It's all about coming home."

As millions watched the daredevil jumper exit his capsule and gaze at the earth, the RedBull Stratos project was actualized. It took five years of preparing for this mission, and the project involved 300 people including seventy engineers, scientists and physicians.

Felix had to be in "aerodynamic" shape in order to break the sound barrier; throughout the free fall he had to constantly stabilize his body into a headfirst position. This took so much concentration that Felix remarked that he didn't even notice the sonic boom when he broke the sound barrier.

What can we learn from this?

The first message that hits me is the incredible amount of planning we are capable of when focused on a goal. There is no limit to the time, the money, the team work. Felix’s team involved experts from a wide range of fields from medicine to meteorology to psychology. But the most amazing member was the previous record breaker, Joe Kittinger, an 84-year old retired Air Force colonel. It was his calming voice from mission control that guided Felix through the ascent to the stratosphere. Instead of wanting his record to remain unbroken, Kittinger became an integral, inspiring mentor to the next generation. He passed on the torch, wanting mankind to go further and faster than he was able to go.

We see what a team can do when each member is focused on the goal instead of his own ego. Watching the expression of joy on Kittinger's face when Felix landed was beautiful. If only I could be that selfless for someone else's success.

And there's another lesson I took from this. For the past decade, the positive psychology movement has been telling us that practice and perseverance matters more than innate talent and strength. There is a trait called "grit" that Wikipedia defines as "an individual's passion for a particular long term goal coupled with a powerful motivation to achieve their respective objective." Clearly, Baumgartner has 'grit' as evidenced by his years of training and focus on breaking world jumping records. But there's more to grit. It also involves one's ability to continue to get up no matter how many times he falls. To wipe off the mud and the frustration and decide to keep persevering despite the myriad obstacles that can and do appear.

For instance, during the training for this mission Felix discovered that despite his fearlessness of heights, he had to face a new, unexpected fear in his tiny capsule: claustrophobia. He was so afraid of the closed, tight quarters of the capsule that in 2010 he left the United States and almost gave up entirely. But he didn't. And then during the second hour of the ascent, Baumgartner's visor began fogging up and continued to be blurry into his leap in space. Despite the terror, which we cannot possibly comprehend, Felix did not give up and use the high tech drogue chute that would have slowed him down, preventing him from breaking the sound barrier.

When the road is not always clear, when we’re afraid and feel completely lost, there is a way to keep going. God gives each of us this power inside of us to jump even when our visors are blurry, to stay focused even when we are frightened to make that final leap towards our goal.

My daughters and I once did a freefall from the SkyCoaster in Superland, Israel. That was 165 feet in the air, and when we had to release the latch and fall straight towards the ground, there were two thoughts that raced through my mind. There was no way down except to fall. And secondly there is nothing more frightening than the complete loss of control. For Felix, it was a bit different (besides the difference of around 127, 935 feet) because he had to work the entire time at stabilizing his body so that it would be aerodynamic. We were just free falling, but there is something about flying straight towards the ground that is innately humbling. The sense of freedom is exhilarating, and the vulnerability so terrifying.

I also discovered in that short free fall that no one ascends or descends to such heights without praying. Even a daredevil prays. That’s what Felix was doing on his climb up into the stratosphere.

But I think the most powerful lesson of all is in Felix's own poignant words after the jump. "It's all about coming home." Stronger than our need to jump, more powerful than our yearning to fly is our inherent connection to the preciousness of life. We all want to come home, to connect to those we love and to God who gives us the courage to jump past the edge of our fears.

Focus on the goal. Keep training. Jump even when your visors are all fogged up. Pray for strength. Pray for courage. And pray for Him to bring you home.

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About the Author

Sara Debbie Gutfreund received her BA in English from the University of Pennsylvania and her MA in Family Therapy from the University of North Texas. She has taught parenting classes and self-development seminars and provided adolescent counseling. She writes extensively for many online publications and in published anthologies of Jewish women's writing. She and her husband spent 14 wonderful years raising their five children in Israel, and now live in Blue Ridge Estates in Waterbury, Connecticut, where Sara Debbie enjoys skiing and running in her free time.

Visitor Comments: 15

(13)
basha,
October 21, 2012 12:37 PM

been there, done that!

We have, at least one time in our lives, taken a leap of faith, whether the first day of school, a new job, marriage, in fact the first time for everything is truly a heart-stopping situation and for many there is a life-threatening performance to go through - wars, bomb disposal etc. Life is challenging enough but I give credence to Felix for putting a new slant on human endeavour.

(12)
bootsie,
October 18, 2012 3:23 PM

you summarize, i'll comment.

someone has to take these risks or nothing would be accomplished. get over it, and let George do it.....

(11)
Akiva,
October 18, 2012 2:32 AM

Courage?

As incredible as this was I don't understand why it is being labeled as courageous. If someone would have run into a burning building in order to save a life, we would call him courageous. But that same person who would run into a burning building in order to save his baseball card collection would be called a complete fool. I am sorry but Felix came very close to losing his life when spinning the way he did. He admits himself that he could have lost consciousness and never would have been able to pull the cord. A thousand other things could have gone wrong as well. Breaking a record in my book is just not a good enough reason to risk ones life to such an extent. That's not courageous Felix, that's foolish.

Anonymous,
October 21, 2012 4:33 PM

agree

I agree with you %100.

(10)
Chana Ruth,
October 17, 2012 6:30 PM

Amazing

The courage and determination of Felix Baumgartner and the entire team of people behind this feat is something to learn from.
Anonymous: The jump was not just for accolades or record breaking--it was also testing out the new space suit and gathering data. It was a prototype for future space suits that our astronauts will use.
Thank you, Sara, for reminding us what we can learn from the things we witness in our world.

(9)
Jerry Russo,
October 17, 2012 5:42 PM

What did he accomplish?

What scientific accomplishments did he make? The time, money and effort he spent could have been put to greater uses. Research into many needed medical problems, world peace etc.

(8)
Anonymous,
October 17, 2012 3:55 PM

To Anonymous: What the fuss is all about...

What Felix Baumgartner did was not just a daredevil feat. It had scientific value that will be of benefit not only to astronauts who will be wearing special suits to help them survive in the future, but also to countless others including, possibly, you, because these technological experiments eventually impact medicine, personal safety, materials manufacture and other fields. If there are no "volunteers" to push the boundaries and be the "guinea pigs", great innovations couldn't happen.

(7)
Stacey,
October 17, 2012 6:20 AM

The amazing feat

I was so in awe in seeing his courage, and knowing the time and training it took for Mr Baumgartner to accomplish this amazing feat! Watching him reminded me of how I felt when I watched the first moon landing and seeing Neil Armstrong take that first step. It was an anxious feeling that kept me on the edge of my seat, all the while praying that he would succeed. Yes, Mr. Baumgartner is an inspiration to all of us to be determined to achieve any goal or overcome any obstacle we have in life.

(6)
Anonymous,
October 16, 2012 6:51 PM

Joe Kittinger

I think that Joe Kittinger is the star of the show. What a beautiful act of selflessness. I also think that all the lessons that you brought out that we can learn from this whole episode are very true and I'm really happy that you pointed them out.
But aside from that , I really don't understand why the big fuss. Like, so what? On this you spend five years of your precious life? And risk your life? I never understood why people like to break records - they'll use up all the eggs, flour,sugar and oil in town to bake the biggest cake, to get their picture in some crazy book, work for years to see who can run the fastest, jump the highest, squeeze the most people into a Volkswagon, swallow the most gold fish, the list is unending.
But perhaps I missed something here. Besides the excitement and "never done before" aspect, is there anything else? Please fill me in.

Anonymous,
October 17, 2012 4:00 PM

Important knowlege

This research can be used by astronauts if they have to bail out at high altitude. The technology is in the protective suit. They learned how to manipulate the body so as not to freeze on the way down, not loose consciousness, and to land safely.
Good job!

(5)
Naomi Ruben,
October 16, 2012 5:02 PM

Sara-Thank you for your insight

Sara, I want to thank you for your insight and pointing out what many parents and teachers are now implementing. Positive reinforcement and encouragement go a long way to a healthy environment. What could EACH of us accomplish if we had our own cheering section at home, school and work. What if we extended kindness and positivity and removed belittling from sports- from coaching directed to athletes, from parents directed at coaches, We are on the right path addressing bullying, but it needs to go further. Extend a hand up instead of a palm pushing someone down.

(4)
Lenore Dollinger,
October 16, 2012 4:56 PM

You turned my life around from weakness to strenght in mind and body

THANK YOU WITH ALL MY HEART AND SOUL

(3)
Camellia,
October 15, 2012 5:41 PM

God bless you Felix!

I was praying for him all the while I was watching him fall seeming in the distance like a small white dot and when he reached the ground feet first and then signed himself with the cross I felt my heart swell with joy and pride, he made me want to fly! He inspired me to dream and be ambitious and never give up on my dreams. Thank you Felix and God bless you forever!

(2)
Beverly Kurtin,
October 15, 2012 3:22 PM

Amen

His amazing feat will go down in history, but even more, he has opened the world to new realizations.
Bravo, Felix, Bravo!

(1)
Stephane luako Lombo,
October 15, 2012 2:03 PM

Felix Baumgartner's supersonic jump

Mr.Felix Baumgartner is a man of great courage there is no doubt what so ever.
It is the first leg to your sucess.
But never forget the one who created you at all times:God is the one that will make you successful and bring you home no matter what hardships or unexpected events occure.
Mr.Stephane luako Lombo

I'm told that it's a mitzvah to become intoxicated on Purim. This puzzles me, because to my understanding, it is not considered a good thing to become intoxicated, period.

One of the characteristics of the at-risk youth is their use of drugs, including alcohol. In my experience, getting drunk doesn't reveal secrets. It makes people act stupid and irresponsible, doing things they would never do if they were sober. Also, I know a lot about the horrible health effects of abusing alcohol, because I work at a research center that focuses on addiction and substance abuse.

Also, I am an alcoholic, which means that if I drink, very bad things happen. I have not had a drink in 22 years, and I have no intention of starting now. Surely there must be instances where a person is excused from the obligation to drink. I don't see how Judaism could ever promote the idea of getting drunk. It just doesn't seem right.

The Aish Rabbi Replies:

Putting aside for a moment all the spiritual and philosophical reasons for getting drunk on Purim, this remains an issue of common sense. Of course, teenagers should be warned of the dangers of acute alcohol ingestion. Of course, nobody should drink and drive. Of course, nobody should become so drunk to the point of negligence in performing mitzvot. And of course, a recovering alcoholic should not partake of alcohol on Purim.

Indeed, the Code of Jewish Law explicitly says that if one suspects the drinking may affect him negatively, then he should NOT drink.

Getting drunk on Purim is actually one of the most difficult mitzvot to do correctly. A person should only drink if it will lead to positive spiritual results - e.g. under the loosening affect of the alcohol, greater awareness will surface of the love for God and Torah found deep in the heart. (Perhaps if we were on a higher spiritual level, we wouldn't need to get drunk!)

Yet the Talmud still speaks of an obligation on Purim of "not knowing the difference between Blessed is Mordechai and Cursed is Haman." How then should a person who doesn't drink get the point of “not knowing”? Simple - just go to sleep! (Rama - OC 695:2)

All this applies to individuals. But the question remains - does drinking on Purim adversely affect the collective social health of the Jewish community?

The aversion to alcoholism is engrained into Jewish consciousness from a number of Biblical and Talmudic sources. There are the rebuking words of prophets - Isaiah 28:1, Hosea 3:1 with Rashi, and Amos 6:6, and the Zohar says that "The wicked stray after wine" (Midrash Ne'alam Parshat Vayera).

It is well known that the rate of alcoholism among Jews has historically been very low. Numerous medical, psychological and sociological studies have confirmed this. The connection between Judaism and sobriety is so evident, that the following conversation is reported by Lawrence Kelemen in "Permission to Receive":

When Dr. Mark Keller, editor of the Quarterly Journal of Studies on Alcohol, commented that "practically all Jews do drink, and yet all the world knows that Jews hardly ever become alcoholics," his colleague, Dr. Howard Haggard, director of Yale's Laboratory of Applied Physiology, jokingly proposed converting alcoholics to the Jewish religion in order to immerse them in a culture with healthy attitudes toward drinking!

Perhaps we could suggest that it is precisely because of the use of alcohol in traditional ceremonies (Kiddush, Bris, Purim, etc.), that Jews experience such low rates of alcoholism. This ceremonial usage may actually act like an inoculation - i.e. injecting a safe amount that keeps the disease away.

Of course, as we said earlier, all this needs to be monitored with good common sense. Yet in my personal experience - having been in the company of Torah scholars who were totally drunk on Purim - they acted with extreme gentleness and joy. Amid the Jewish songs and beautiful words of Torah, every year the event is, for me, very special.

Adar 12 marks the dedication of Herod's renovations on the second Holy Temple in Jerusalem in 11 BCE. Herod was king of Judea in the first century BCE who constructed grand projects like the fortresses at Masada and Herodium, the city of Caesarea, and fortifications around the old city of Jerusalem. The most ambitious of Herod's projects was the re-building of the Temple, which was in disrepair after standing over 300 years. Herod's renovations included a huge man-made platform that remains today the largest man-made platform in the world. It took 10,000 men 10 years just to build the retaining walls around the Temple Mount; the Western Wall that we know today is part of that retaining wall. The Temple itself was a phenomenal site, covered in gold and marble. As the Talmud says, "He who has not seen Herod's building, has never in his life seen a truly grand building."

Some people gauge the value of themselves by what they own. But in reality, the entire concept of ownership of possessions is based on an illusion. When you obtain a material object, it does not become part of you. Ownership is merely your right to use specific objects whenever you wish.

How unfortunate is the person who has an ambition to cleave to something impossible to cleave to! Such a person will not obtain what he desires and will experience suffering.

Fortunate is the person whose ambition it is to acquire personal growth that is independent of external factors. Such a person will lead a happy and rewarding life.

With exercising patience you could have saved yourself 400 zuzim (Berachos 20a).

This Talmudic proverb arose from a case where someone was fined 400 zuzim because he acted in undue haste and insulted some one.

I was once pulling into a parking lot. Since I was a bit late for an important appointment, I was terribly annoyed that the lead car in the procession was creeping at a snail's pace. The driver immediately in front of me was showing his impatience by sounding his horn. In my aggravation, I wanted to join him, but I saw no real purpose in adding to the cacophony.

When the lead driver finally pulled into a parking space, I saw a wheelchair symbol on his rear license plate. He was handicapped and was obviously in need of the nearest parking space. I felt bad that I had harbored such hostile feelings about him, but was gratified that I had not sounded my horn, because then I would really have felt guilty for my lack of consideration.

This incident has helped me to delay my reactions to other frustrating situations until I have more time to evaluate all the circumstances. My motives do not stem from lofty principles, but from my desire to avoid having to feel guilt and remorse for having been foolish or inconsiderate.

Today I shall...

try to withhold impulsive reaction, bearing in mind that a hasty act performed without full knowledge of all the circumstances may cause me much distress.

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